Mass Exodus
by BrambleStar14
Summary: A group of FanFiction writers, coming together to write the ultimate Mass Effect FanFic. Auditions are open, see inside for details.
1. Chapter 1

Ok, so you guys reading this will probably have an idea what this is about, since you probably read the description, or you might not have and just clicked randomly. If you are reading this, you are probably a Mass Effect fan, looking for a good story. If you enjoy Mass Effect and you enjoy writing, I have a proposition for you.

You've all read a few self inserts, hell, I do! However, there's always something missing. One character always fights evil, changing stuff and ends up saving the day. Always happens. But recently, I took part in a Red Vs Blue collaboration and I thought, "What if Mass Effect fans did that?" So this is what I'm offering.

I propose a collaboration between authors, where everyone writes their own chapters and everyone takes a character. Here is the basic idea: A group of 5 or 6 fanfic authors get pulled into the mass effect universe and ideas from their fics start to alter the world they thought they knew.

As you may have guessed, only a few people will actually get to be a Self Insert, but if you don't get in, you can apply for any other character: Shepard, Garrus, Liara etc.

I know there are some great Mass Effect FanFiction writers out there guys. Let's do this thing! Send me a PM if you're interested, or review this story, before heading on over to the new official forum.

/forum/Mass-Exodus/129869/

Welcome to the Mass Exodus! Good Luck writers! And here's the prologue!

Awakening

Space is vast. Filled with mysteries, both good and bad. Nebulae and black holes, planets and races, stars and systems. When the human race discovered the Mass Relays, all of space had opened up to them. But it hadn't. Not nearly all of space was open. Only a tiny part and that part was surrounded by the unknown, filled with both wonders and dangers.

Space is silent. There is no oxygen, no breathable atmosphere out in the cold, dark, silent region in which our story begins. There is nothing. No light from stars that should have been there, no sound from Mass Relays that have been destroyed. No life where there should be. Everything that should be there is gone. Something is very wrong here. Something bad, something dark, something that is beyond nightmares.

Space is patient. Something is out there. Something vast is stirring in the dark. Something ancient, before light and time and space and matter. Something that's intentions are unknown, something that will never be stopped, never halted, only delayed. Some would call it judgment day, others the apocalypse. Whatever it is, if it truly awakens, all of reality will never be safe. The Reapers are dormant, far away, but not too far from the galaxy of our tale. They wait, asleep in a way, waiting for the Vanguard to open the relays.

Then, the largest one stirs, and yellow eyes, huge and glowing evilly open, as the leader awakens for the first time for nearly fifty thousand years. It senses something odd within the galaxy it does not yet know. Something strange has arrived, something that should not be there. Something that could change anything. It is confused, something it has never felt. It knows that whatever this is, it has the ability to halt the cycle. A psychic message is sent through networks and circuitry to something on the outer edges of the reaper fleet, to a strangely shaped reaper. It makes no discernible movements or signs of life, but it is awake. It knows what it needs to do. Silently, it disengages and moves slowly forwards. A small halo of light appears around it, before shrinking to a speck and then nothing. The reaper has vanished. They yellow eyed one relaxes in content, before encouraging other stirring reapers back to sleep, as Harbinger becomes dormant once more.

Space is dormant. Something else out there feels the arrival. Something in the dark, unstoppable, dormant since before this universe began. It was asleep, but now it stirs. It begins to wake up. Soon, nothing will stop it. It will consume everything. Reality is doomed. Space was dormant.

Space is awake.


	2. Jason: Arrival

**Alright, here it is people. The first chapter of Mass Exodus, the biggest project I have undertaken in a while now. This is gonna be a big thing. Got a few authors on board now, but I still need more. Head on over to the forum "Mass Exodus" and sign up if you're interested in writing your own chapters for whoever you want. Do it! Do it! Do it! Do- ok, I'll stop.**

**So, without further ado, here is the very first proper chapter for Mass Exodus, introducing one of the main characters, me!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing about Mass Effect except for the new character that is me. Because I own me, not Bioware. I totally didn't try and sell my soul to them in exchange for a better ending to Mass Effect 3.**

**Chapter One**

**Jason: Arrival**

**March 23****rd****, 2013, Unknown Mountain Range**

**BrambleStar14**

"_Waking up is the easy part, it's what comes next that's hard"- Jason_

I swing the ice pick upwards, driving it into the cliff face I am attached to with a solid thunk, slight cracks forming around the now imbedded iron pickaxe as I bury it into the sheet of ice I am attached to. I pull myself up with a slight grunt, goggles almost completely covered with snow. I am about two thirds of the way up this mountain and I refuse to give up now. I raise my left hand and swing it upwards, burying the other pick into the ice now. I continue to pull myself up in a rhythmic fashion, climbing about a meter a minute.

It couldn't be done, they said. It's impossible, they said. They all told me that climbing a mountain in a blizzard was impossible. No-one had ever done it. So naturally, I tried it. I have been often called reckless by other people, charging into things without really thinking. And they are true in a way. I don't really think what I do is reckless but then again, I'm the one doing it. I live for the action.

I'm almost at the top of the cliff now. The tracker in my arm is emitting a constant signal to the group following about one mile below me. They're ready on standby in case something happens to me, but it won't. It never does. This'll be the third vertical climb I've done in my life, so by this time I'm pretty much an expert on the subject. I've never done it in a blizzard though. But I have to keep going. It's all for charity. 16 years old and I'm climbing a mountain for charity. How many people can say that?

A vertical, supposedly impossible climb up a mountain that is constantly surrounded by a blizzard three hundred and sixty five days a year? Oh hell yeah! I'm nearly at the top now, and then all I have to do is record me putting the flag down and then I have to descend the cliff face, which is always less dangerous than the initial ascent. My family should be down there as well, waiting for me to return. I told them I'd be fine, but they still looked worried. They're always worried. Always trying to keep me safe and protected. I can't wait until I get away somewhere else. Then I could do what I like without them always trying to hold me back.

Then, as I reminisce, I feel my pick go over an edge and dig into a flat sheet of ice. I had reached the surface! I give a massive gasp as I haul my body over the top. Before my feet can slip out from under me, I quickly dig the spiked shoes into the floor, firmly attaching myself to the ice. I look out over the world. It's quite peaceful up here actually. So remote and alone. I could just sit up here for hours and stare out over the distant blurred shapes of the other mountains just visible through the snowstorm, before I remember what I am here for.

Jolting myself, I stand up and quickly reach up to my chest, feeling the small camera there and pressing the on button as I detach it from the belt across my chest and hold it up. I grin into it, raising the visor on the protective helmet as I whoop in victory. They said it couldn't be done and yet, here I am. I rapidly assemble the flag and film myself placing it into the ground. I can't help myself.

"One small step for man," I intone seriously into the camera, trying not to grin. "One giant leap for mankind!" I laugh and spin on the spot, giddy with glee. And then I notice it. Over there, buried in the cliff. A shape, strange, something that shouldn't be there. My grin sliding from my face to be replaced with a frown, I slowly walk over, confused. Eventually, I reach the object, frozen behind a sheet of ice. A smooth, flat surface, covered with strange symbols, unlike anything I've ever seen. Like something out of a science fiction film or game series. Halo, Mass Effect, Star Wars, any of those could fit. But that's stupid. Weird symbols don't belong on top of a mountain. Trying to see them better, I take a step forwards.

Then, the ice gives way beneath my feet.

I am plunged into a tunnel, falling and falling and falling, air rushing into my face as I scream in sudden terror and exhilaration. Then, without warning, the tunnel levels out and I fly into a large cavern beneath the ice, smashing into the ground with force and crying out as I feel my left arm break from the impact. Howling, I lie there, trying to figure out just what the hell is going on. Eventually, when the pain sinks to bearable levels, I get up and look around. The cavern I am in is circular, with the walls sloping upwards to create a dome shape. The walls are covered in those symbols I saw before and the floor is decorated by a set of walkways. Beneath those is what appears to be a several mile drop. The entire place seems to be humming slightly.

At the end of the walkways, against the wall, is a dais, filled with weird machinery. All of it dormant, waiting. This is really confusing. This is the kind of stuff that belongs in a science fiction film or something. I pull off my snow covered helmet and drop it on the floor, not really needing it right now. Hopefully my tracker's still working. I don't want to freeze to death in some weird science fiction cave. Oh god, I hope it's not like that Alien Vs Predator film.

Slowly, I walk along the walkway, camera still miraculously in my hand. As I reach the dais, I see a light. Right against the wall is a large machine, like a black sphere inside of a glass cylinder rising from the floor, just floating there. As I approach, the glass splits open with a hiss and the sphere seems to melt away. There is something side of it. I lean forwards, trying to get a closer look. Inside is a smaller sphere, pitch black and seeming to reflect all light. It seems to be just nothing, something strange floating there that shouldn't. Looking at it really hurts my eyes. It shouldn't be there, I know that much. It shouldn't exist. It doesn't move, it doesn't have light or any visible weight, it just _is._

Slowly, I reach out with the pick attached to my right arm and poke the sphere. Instantly, the second before the pick touches it, there is a loud CLANG! And in a flash of crimson light, the pick flies across the room, the rope attaching it to my arm snapping. I turn to look at the sphere of wrongness. It sits there with no reaction.

"What the hell?" I mutter, reaching out, this time to try and touch it with my glove. Again, it is repelled, though with less force. Slowly, due to my injured arm, I remove my right glove and position the camera on my shoulder. I reach out with my un-gloved hand and touch the sphere. This time, something happens.

The sphere seems to shift, like water. It certainly feels like my hand is in water. The part I touch seems to break apart into tiny black pixels, leaving behind a crimson light glowing from within. Instantly, I pull my hand away and the pixels settle again, but more pixels ripple outwards from the spot like water before they too settle down, leaving the sphere intact. I feel a trickle of excitement as I try and touch it again. I spend a few minutes creating ripples for simple enjoyment until suddenly:

"Subject Detected: Indentified as Human. Place hand inside of device for full scan." The voice is echoing and metallic, but otherwise completely blank. At this, the device begins to hum loudly, the sound somehow filling the large cavern. Somehow, I know what to do. That should be impossible right? I mean, I shouldn't somehow know how to use alien technology! That's insane!

Slowly, I reach out, my hand open wide. And as it approaches the device, the pixels seem to sink inwards, forming an exact replica of my hand. Red lightning seems to flicker between the sphere and my palm and fingers. I hesitate a second. Should I do this? And then the reckless part of my mind takes over and I slam my hand downwards, onto the sphere. Instantly, the red lightning starts to fly around, surrounding me and piercing into me multiple times.

The pain is immense. Imagine a thousand needles stabbing into every inch of your body and then times that by about four thousand. Instinctively, I remove my hand, howling in pain and horror. The voice speaks again,

"Warning, place hand back into device. Disintegration imminent if this warning is not heeded." Reluctantly, I place my hand back into the sphere, to continue screaming over the voice as it carries on. "Scanning. Mind: Perfect. Body: Optimal. Beginning procedure."

My body begins to fragment. Literally disintegrating into pixels. I try and remove my hand again, only this time it is stuck. As my whole body begins to fall apart before my eyes, the red lightning strikes my eyes and I am instantly rendered unconscious.

**March 23****rd****, 2181, Unknown Location**

Slowly, groggily, I awake. I lie there, groaning as pain floods every pore in my body. Then, as I begin to remember, my eyes fly open and I look around in shock. I am not where I was before. I am in a comfortable room, large, with furniture and a desk and a wardrobe and a closed window. All of the light switches are weirdly holographic and appear to shift as I observe them. I sit up and look at the desk, at the strangely glowing computer where the screen appears to just float there. This is confusing. What happened to the cavern?

Slowly, I stand up and move over to the window, pressing the switch and watching as it opens, before I jolt back and gasp. The sight is both alien and familiar. The hovercrafts, the buildings and most of all, the large structure ahead of me, huge, with a ring and five spokes reaching out.

The Citadel.

And something tells me I am not on Earth anymore.

**Mass Exodus**

**Starring:**

**BrambleStar14**

**CinderPelt11**

**RedViking96**

**Julian928**

**Rfalzar**

**Wreaksauce**

**BioticStories**

**Luminara Unduli**

**We hope you enjoyed that kiddos. Auditions are still open so head on over to the forum. Next time!**


	3. Eric: Arrival

**Alright people, time for the next chapter of Mass Exodus. Today we meet another of our heroes, played by the brilliant RedViking96. Don't forget to check out the forum and I'll let him get on with it. As always, have nice day!**

Disclaimer: I don't own Mass effect that's Bioware's.  
A/N: Hello, Mass Exodus is a fic co-written by:  
Bramble star 14.  
Julian928.  
Rfalzar.  
CinderPelt11.  
Wreaksauce.  
Luminara Unduli

BioticStories  
And myself.

If you want to join us in writing this project, go take a look at the Mass Exodus forum because we're still looking for creative authors to join us but remember, there's only a limited amount of time remaining for you to join.

**Chapter Two**

**Eric: Arrival  
March 24th 2013, Victorian Highlands  
RedViking96.  
**

"_When all that you know is stolen from you, only then do you cherish it"- Eric_

The crosshairs settle on my target, my breath coming out steadily as I exhale, the Kangaroo gently nibbling on some grass that hasn't completely frozen yet, my finger caressing the trigger and just as I squeeze that tiny fraction more, the animal looks up, and bounds off.  
Letting out an exasperated grunt, I lower my rifle, looking over at dad, who's nestled in the snowy bushes to my left.

"You left it too long" was all he said as he moved over to me, his boots crunching on the snow.  
"Always remember: hesitating, that last fraction of a second is the difference between diner and a wasted bullet" he mutters as I sling my Remington 700 over my shoulder, and shoot him a pointed look.

"Doesn't matter much now" I mutter in response as we begin the slow and steady hike back to our cabin.

We manage to make it back to the cabin just as night begins to fall, its warm wooden walls are comforting after a long days hunt, and it turns out we'll be having rabbit stew again, since dad's snares once again rope in three of the fluffy critters.  
The cabin may not have all of the big city comforts of my home in Canberra but it's still home, in that it's got its own charm up here in the Victorian highlands; whenever we get the chance me, dad and mum come up here to get away from it all and it works well, even if my sister is noticeably absent, off with her friends on a trip to America, not that I envy her. If anything, she should be envying me, I think absently as I put my rifle into the gun cabinet.

"You're home, find anything good?" calls a voice from the kitchen.

"Some of our favourite's, rabbit" dad answers, as he heads into the kitchen to prepare the kill.

The night passes quickly, even though I told dad I would be up early tomorrow to check out a very promising ridge that was just begging me to climb it; he just told me to be careful before going back to his meal while mum looked up and smiled at me. This was one of the many things I loved about my parents: they trust me to be safe and do things that most kids at my age nowadays consider weird or just aren't interested in doing. Not that I'm saying that games and whatnot are boring (I play plenty of them myself), I just don't let them consume me.  
As I lay in my bed I'm quickly overtaken by the softness of the pillow and the warm embrace of sleep.

The dawn sun is just starting to creep over the hills, and I'm already up and packing my climbing gear, plenty of rope, lots of pitons, both of my beloved ice axes, one black and it's white partner, a pair of hand hooks, gloves, a torch, both my knives, a striking steel and some other items in case I stay out in the wilds a bit longer then I intend to.

I wondered if the weather would hold long enough to get down this damn mountain and back to the cabin; the sky was looking a nasty shade of dark grey and I was lugging a backpack full of climbing gear. At the time I thought it was a brilliant idea, now not so much the cold was starting to get to me since I'd spent the last hour hugging a rock wall covered in ice. It just looked so enticing, calling my name and I'd been feeling good, until the sky stared rumbling ominously, so I stared to quicken my pace, when I saw the first of the snowflakes hitting the ground , halting for a moment I swung my hood up and walking again as the wind began to pick up and within ten minutes, the storm was hitting full force.

Thinking quickly, I pulled my goggles on and moved along what I thought was the track, right up until the point where I almost fell off a cliff, looking around I could barely see anything. Fear gripping me, I back tracked but I must have gotten turned around along the way because I ran into a rock wall. I was starting to panic when I spotted an opening in the wall.

Seeing little other choice, I moved to the mouth of the cave, taking a quick look to see if there were any signs that it was already occupied. Seeing none, I moved forward, grabbing my torch and turning it on as I moved deeper in, listening for any sound besides my own light breath and the howling wind outside. I advance forward, my light shining on the ground it when it suddenly dropped off. Curiosity getting the better of me, I see that the cave is cut off in an almost vertical drop downwards.  
Well I'd planned on doing some spelunking anyway and I wouldn't be going back outside until the storm died down, so I step back and grab a glow stick from my pack, snapping the rod I shook it before picking up a rock from the ground in my other hand. I walk back over to the ledge, dropping both objects down into the darkness, and counted, reaching two seconds before I heard, the distinct sound of the rock hitting the ground, so it is ten meters for every second in free fall so two seconds equals twenty meters.

Not a problem, I have more than enough rope in my pack, after a few minutes I hammer some pitons into the ground and tie my rope off, before I begin my decent into the darkness; thankfully the rock are nice and dry with plenty of places of me to use as foot holds. After what feels like an eternity, my feet hit solid ground. Unclipping my light from my belt, I shine it down to see an almost perfectly smooth surface below me and my glow stick not too far from me. Unhooking myself from the rope, I look around and see a single tunnel in the far wall. Feeling adventurous, I walk into it, wondering how long it's been since someone else has been down here; I get my answer in the form of a smell, inhaling deeply, the air around me smells old and musty, indicating that it's been still for some time.

As I'm rounding another corner in this surprisingly long tunnel, my light suddenly begins to flicker, looking down at it I give the old torch a firm shake, seemingly fixing the problem only for it to have come back when I take another step forwards. I frown. The batteries can't be dying; I put a fresh set in this morning. Hitting the touch this time only seems to make the problem worse as the light begins to dim and suddenly stop completely.

After another few rounds of taps and shakes, I strap the touch back onto my belt and fish out my phone, trying to use the light built into it, only when I try to turn it on, it doesn't work, which is really starting to freak me out when I see an odd green glow coming from around the bend. Taking a few cautious steps forwards, I turn the corner to see I sight that amazes me.

A perfectly semicircular shaped cavern, big enough to fit a large house into and at the centre sits the source of the green glow, an orb in the centre of the cavern, green swirling calmly just below the surface.

I feel almost drawn to the object, making earlier feelings of fear and caution forgotten as I walk towards it, unaware of my surroundings. The sphere is all that exists, as I approach it I can almost feel it waking from a long slumber, the once calm green energy becoming chaotic and I can hear whispers, too soft to make out at the edge of my awareness, each become louder, all of them screeching in my head as I reach out to the orb, all of the screaming voices reaching a new height of all-encompassing noise before falling utterly silent and as the tip of my finger touches the orb, both it and my world is swallowed by darkness.

I begin to awaken, clawing my way out of the darkness of slumber; I haul myself up looking around I'm still an a cave, but this one is different, not as smooth and smaller. Odd, but none the less, I dust myself off and see the orb beside me, only it has shattered into pieces. Bending down, I grab one of the larger ones and stuff the shard into my pack.

As I walk around the cavern I see a tunnel, walking down it, I see not the vertical wall and rope that I had left but an opening which light was pouring through. Wondering what the hell is going on, I walk to the entrance and look outside, blinking a few times before I freeze in place.

The landscape stretching out before me is not the rugged icy woodland of the Victorian highlands, but a vast desert of golden sand and dust.

...

"Where the hell am I?"

A/N: Hello again readers, hoped you liked my opening chapter and remember if you want in on this, you should join the forum and express your interest.

**RedViking96 everybody! Give that guy a round of applause. And if you want to see more or meet the writers or even write for the story just head on over to the official forum! See you next time folks,**

**BrambleStar14**


	4. Matthew: Arrival

Alright readers, welcome back to another chapter of our collaboration, where another character is introduced, this time written by Real Teagy SOT. So, the self insert applications are now closed, but the established characters and own character slots are available. So, we hope to see you soon. On with the show!

Disclaimer: Neither I nor any of the other co-authors of this work own Mass Effect or any other themes that may present themselves in this fic.

AN: Hello there, Mass Exodus is co-written by:

BrambleStar14

CinderPelt11

RedViking96

Rfalzar

Julian926

BioticStories

Luminara Unduli

Wreaksauce

And Myself.

Chapter Three

Matthew: Arrival

March 26th, 2013, City in the United Kingdom

Real Teagy SOT

"_I may be drunk miss, but in the morning you will still be ugly"- Winston Churchill_

As I set off on my morning run, I make sure I have what I need. I'm wearing a dark blue fleece to help ward of the recent random snow we've had for the past few days. I'm wearing black shorts which reveal my the ginger hair and pale skin of my legs. My black running shoes that have three golden stripes down either side of the foot, my preferred pair for today. I place my keys into my pocket as no one will be home when I get back and I slot my phone in beside it, making sure to turn on my running mix of songs to help motivate me.

I slide the thin pair of gloves over my hands to help keep them warm. Taking in a deep breath I let the cold to reside in my chest for a brief moment before exhaling. Today is going to be a little more challenging than usual, running in the cold is the worst for me. The track I run on is in a field area just on the outskirts of the town. The area isn't suitable for building on due to the presence of abandoned coal mines and has been like that for at least the past 50 years, that much I'm sure of. Crossing the road to reach the field I look up into the sky to see the sun greeting the city with it's warm look but cold touch. It's heat won't be helping me today.

The past few days has been snowing, for a while now my city hasn't received a lot of snow. But this recent storm saw fit to change that as the snow in some places still reaches to just below my knee. Fortunately the path I'm running won't be difficult, the snow has been cleared and beaten by the previous pedestrians who wander the field path. Walking their dogs or just a random stroll is the norm. The path itself loops back to the start, fortunate for me as it is roughly 3 km long. Good enough for a 20-30 minute jog.

As I reach my starting point I notice the odd being in the distance, a man or women wearing winter clothing who appears to walking their dog in the distance. Maybe I will cross paths with this person, maybe not. It's not important either way, I need to get this run done so I can keep my fitness levels the same. A memory comes to mind. At a point at least 2 years ago, I had ran on this same course finding it difficult to do long distance running. During that run I had difficulty controlling my breath, I smile knowing how much I have improved. But my smile grows even larger as I remember a person I had met on the run.

As I had reached a certain point, perhaps where the iron wheels are in the ground I had found a man lying on the floor. I had come to a stop and took a quick look around me, at the time I remember not knowing whether he looked like he had been attacked or what. But as I approached I discovered he had not been mugged, beaten or left for dead. He was simply drunk out of his mind. I laugh again as I remember his attempts to keep himself up as I led him out of the fields and back into the street. He was adamant he didn't need help, but I felt the need to help him back to the residential area at least. I had never seen that guy again, but I knew that I had I left him, he would definitely have frozen where he lay, at least I gave him a nudge in the right direction.

I stretch my legs to keep the muscles from cramping up during the run. As I do the cold breeze cuts daggers into my face and ears. I wince in discomfort, wishing I had not shaved this morning otherwise I might have a defence for this cold air. I take note that my hairy legs do not feel cold, which is good considering it's at least 0 degrees out here with a mildly cold breeze. Getting my feet into the beat of the song I start my jog along the concrete path. Keeping my arms close to my body to help keep me warm for the time being.

Instead of looking ahead of myself I look at the floor ahead of me and keep running, to keep the brightness of the snow from hurting my eyes. For the next 5 minutes I repeat the same pattern I have done for months on end. I run up behind the Elderly Care Home and take a left down a slightly elevated hill, taking this time to catch some of breath whilst I'm running. Much needed breath when you plan to run up a hill that isn't paved with concrete, the breath will be stolen from me rapidly as I make my way up. One foot after the other, breath after breath I reach the top of said hill, my forehead feeling hotter and my mouth is getting that strange taste you always get when you run long distances. Like a Hunter hunting it's prey. Most likely a predatory instinct Humankind must has.

As I reach the top of the hill I see the figure from before just disappearing from view on the hill ahead of me. As I catch my breath moving over to the next hill, where the stranger is I think about something to help keep my focus. Hitting the top of the hill I look down to see my path. What catches my surprise isn't what's there, it's what isn't. The man/women with their dog isn't present on the path and the snow is too deep on either side for them to get far enough out of sight. At that moment something catches my ear through my music and I instinctively take them out and listen.

Only the breeze of the wind as it passes my ears, just as before they are sat in my ear again I hear the woman. Snapping to my left I see her waving her arms in my direction trying to get my attention. Her voice sounds so distant.

"Help!" I know she is shouting but it almost sounds like a whisper at this distance.

I jog further down to see the path she took, finding the gap she made with her feet I start along it.

"I'm on my way!" I shout hoping she can hear me.

What she wants still eludes me except for the fact her doggy lead isn't in her hands. I am not fetching her dog for her damn it. She's wearing full winter gear and I'm in shorts for God's sake. But my nature gets the better of me, I carry on jogging and as I pass the tree she must have passed by the footsteps in the snow. I look to see where she is and for the life of me I can't see her any more. I follow the footmarks nonetheless. My chest aching from the cold air I'm breathing.

Suddenly I feel a massive movement under my feet and fear grips me and I stand still, placing my hands out to my sides as if to catch my fall or balance myself. The movement stops and I take a few steps forward testing the ground in case it's not stable. Satisfied I walk forward, taking great care to not move to fast.

"Ma'am! Where are you!" I shout as I put my hands next to my mouth in an effort to boost my noise.

Taking a deep breath I shout again "Hello!?"

The ground beneath me shakes violently and I hear what can only be described as the sound of bones breaking but on a much larger scale. The shake brings me to the ground and before I can pick myself up and move it caves in. I only gasp at what has befallen me before darkness surrounds me and I'm no longer awake.

My senses return to me as I lay there, amongst the rocks and dirt. My hearing is the first to come back, then my sight. I hear nothing but the cold breeze but it sounds slightly distant. I open my eyes and carefully don not move my head. For all I know I have a serious injury and I don't want to upset it. Moving my fingers and toes gives me relief that I can still move, slowly sitting up I take note of my surroundings. I'm in a cave, a very dark and cold cave. More of a tunnel really as I try to focus my eyesight and see walls at either side of me but not in front or behind. I look up to see the hole I fell through. Around me are fragments of wood, wet and weak. If I had to guess I would say I just set foot upon a weakened shaft. When I get out of here I'm going to shit bricks through the letterbox of who ever's fault this is.

Slowly standing up I judge the heigh I fell from being at roughly 4 meters. I grip a side of the wall and it sludge's up in my hand because of the moisture in the air. Not good climbing material surely.

"Hello!?" I howl, trying to get the woman's attention from before.

No response.

"Stupid cow!" I spit at no one in particular, letting my anger wash over me.

For a few moments I weigh my options, I could wait here and hope someone finds the hole or I can see if this leads out somewhere. Hold that thought! I grip my phone from my pocket and hold it high, to see how good my signal is. Which is to say no bars.

"Oh come on!" I say as I jump about trying to get a signal.

With the phone being unresponsive to the attempt I almost launch it at the wall in anger but I hold myself back. What would that achieve? I'm going to need it's light if I'm getting around down here. I take a deep breath and begin walking down the tunnel, shining the light from my phone onto the floor. I swap between the floor and the surroundings from time to time. Taking one cautious step after another I come to the end of the tunnel for about 30 minutes of walking. I see a set of wooden bars that obstruct my path and I approach them. I hear faint sounds coming from the other side of it, like a generator or machinery. Strange, there's no machinery in my area of town.

I get my ear as close to the wood as possible without touching it, don't want creepy crawlies getting in there after all. The machinery or the generator sounds ever more present. The anticipation gets the better of me and I feel the wood, which is damp like the wood from before. I start kicking at it to force it in. With the surrounding walls not showing signs of giving way I put more effort in, wanting to get home for a hot cup of tea and a hot shower. I feel the wood weakening by each kick.

"Just!" I kick at the wood "Fucking!" and again "Give Way!" and the whole wooden section caves in to my attempts.

Dust shoots up into my face and I get pulled forward by the air as it rushes into the room. For a second I thought I was pushed by someone or something and I look around trying to spot whatever it was. After a few moments of brief panic I settle down, realising what it really was. Now with my attention focused on what I see before me.

Something truly remarkable.

The structure I see is of an almost creamy white, shaping up in the cavern in a semi circle from the ground up to the cave roof and back down again. I am truly speechless. I have no clue as to what I see before me. My hairs stand up on end as I approach the structure, inspecting it for a clue to it's origin. As I approach however, my phone decides to die and it's light dims.

"No, no no no" I say as I hit the phones buttons to check it's power. The bars quickly drain and the light disappears.

Much to my relief, the room is still lit up by means I cannot discover. I place my phone back into my pocket and inspect the structure further. My interest now focused on it and not my escape. The floor is perfectly smooth like a slab of marble and there is a pedestal in the centre with a small dome shape at it's top.

I slowly approach it and it reacts. As I pass a circle inscribed in the floor which surrounds the pedestal, the dome folds into the pedestal to reveal something awe inspiring. A green sphere is suspended in the air, about the size of my hand. The sphere is all that exists, I approach with my hand extended unaware of my surroundings. I begin to hear faint sounds, whispers almost. They grow louder with each step closer I take. The whispers becoming shouts up until the point I touch the orb in which they fall silent. My hand is grasping the orb, ripples stream across as if it's water and reach the other side only to come back and hit my hand. I try to remove my hand but find myself locked firmly into place.

Panicking I grip my wrist with my other hand and try to break it free. All I see is the orb growing brighter with each passing moment and the whispers crawling back into my mind. Fear grips me and I panic to break free. The whispers growing back into shouts I find my self on my knee's due to the disorientation I feel. Next I feel as though something has just slammed into me and I fall down silent.

/\/\/\/\/\

March 26th, 2181, Unknown Location

My senses rush back into my control and I sit up rapidly in shock and surprise. I find myself lying down on a set of chairs in a corridor. I'm wearing a suit and shoes to match. I lift my arms in disbelief. Had I been dreaming? I quickly shoot that thought down, as I look out of the window to discover myself in the middle of the city, or what I think is my city. I see cars, futuristic cars driving about and hover cars flying around. Hover Cars!

The buildings are just as different, looking like polished metal and futuristic designs. My ears ring as though someone has just been recently screaming into them. Probably because something had been in that cave. Just what in the actual fuck was that?

My wrist vibrates and an orange holographic shape pops over my left arm, making me jump in surprise.

"Jesus!" I squeal.

A window opens and grabs my attention.

"_Date: 26__th__ of March, 2181"_

Just where . . . and when the hell am I?

/\/\/\/\/\

AN: Well, here is my character (Me, as it is a self insert) getting caught up in the recent disappearances of individuals. Hope you enjoyed reading it. Until next time!

**Real Teagy SOT everyone! We hoped you liked his character, as you will be seeing him a lot more! Next chapter out soon guys, see you then!**

**BrambleStar14**


	5. Zach: Arrival

**And welcome back to Mass Exodus. I know it's two chapters in the same night, but I put up the wrong one and decided not to take it down so now I'm putting up both! So, lucky you, unlucky me. Another introduction in the form of my mate Wreaksauce! So, I'll let him take it from here,**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Mass Effect. We only own our characters. Mass Exodus is a team project of multicultural beliefs and... ok, I'll stop ripping off Assassins Creed!**

**Chapter Four**

**Zach: Arrival**

**27****th**** March 2013, Afghanistan**

**Wreaksauce**

"_Afghanistan looks nice this time of year"- Zach_

As I snuck along the silent back allies of the deserted town in the middle of Afghanistan I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding, I had been separated from my CO a few minutes ago and I was starting to wonder where the heck he'd disappeared off to, we had agreed to maintain radio silence on the outskirts of the town but he would never go this long without contacting me somehow. We had a system in place of clicking the send button on our radios every ten minutes, the fact that it had been nigh on fifteen minutes was slightly concerning.  
That's when I heard the scream.

It wasn't a scream of pain, or scream of shock. It was a scream of pure and un-controllable rage, it sounded like a war cry, I could hear gunshots echoing throughout the town now, it sounded like AK-47 assault rifle fire, every few seconds the continuing rattle of full-auto fire was punctuated by a loud crack followed by a resounding boom that was my CO's AS 50. High calibre rifle finding a target, I could assume that it was finding a target because every boom resulted in less frequent cracks.

I raise my M9 SD handgun and enter the closest building to me, the window on the far side of the door was occupied by a tall, muscular man with a turban covering his head, and more importantly his backs turned to me. I freeze and train my M9 on the back of his head, I take a breath, release the breath and pull the trigger, the soft pop was all that sounded when the round accelerated out of the barrel and embedded itself in the back of the turbaned man's head, he grunted and slumped forward, out of the window.

I move silently to the upper floor, checking every corner, the gunfire is still punctuating the still desert air, the second floor is mercifully clear and I move towards the room in front of me, sweeping the room with my gun as I enter. I flatten myself against the wall next to the window, then slowly poke my head around the corner, the gunfight outside is very one-sided, my CO is at the clear disadvantage, it's him against about twenty well armed men, but he has the better training (which isn't hard considering how likely it is they haven't had any training at all) and more experience, but with those numbers against you experience may not count for much, especially on your own.

I draw my M4A1, this one without a silencer, but right now I don't want one. My plan is simple, draw enough attention to myself for my CO to get his backside in motion and get out of the hot zone, in theory at least. I take aim at my first target, my body hidden by a cotton curtain, the barrel of gun the only thing to be poking out from behind it, the enemy don't seem to notice it.

I pull the trigger, normally I would have only pulled it for a split second, but this time I held it, my target flinched and shuddered a few times before flying backwards of the flatbed of the pickup he was crouched on, I move my gun from right to left, hosing my targets in a deadly rain, my gun clicks empty and I take shelter behind the wall again. I let the spent magazine fall out of the rifle and then slam another one inside it, then I pull back the primmer and lean back out of cover again, there's a low throbbing coming from nearby but I pay it no mind for now, I manage to clear another five people with this magazine, and I duck back behind the wall again, I take a breath and I move to lean back out from behind the wall again.

Then I realise what the throbbing noise was, a nasty looking tube is sticking out from behind a wall, the tube moves to reveal the tank behind it, a T90 Russian made tank, which is strange to say the least, but I have no time to dwell on this now, because the metal beast is fully exposed now, it rears its ugly head (barrel) and fires its main cannon. The concrete wall behind me explodes, sending red hot chunks of masonry in all directions, namely into my back, the shockwave sends me slamming into the wall, causing me to cry out in pain.  
The world around me spins, blackness creeping in on the edges of my vision, a figure appears at the side of my vision, pointing at me, laughing at me, I can just hear him, softly, as If he's on the other side of a mattress. I pull my combat knife out of its hilt and hide it behind my back, then after gathering my breath I lunge at the figure knocking it over backwards, then I bring my knife to bare on his throat.  
Then the figure disappears and re-appears ten metres away from me, I charge after it, cursing it for all my worth, I chase it out of the house and into the street, the barrel of the tank follows my progress but I don't care, all that matters to me is killing the man stubborn enough to laugh at a dying man. I jump a fence, and fall on my face dislocating my nose in the process, I curse again and try to rise to my feet, but I can only fall headlong into the dessert ground again (which hurts a lot let me tell you). Then I can hear the figure laughing again, blood boiling rage overtakes my common sense and I charge after the figure again, I carry on in this manner until we are in the middle of the desert, the figure disappears into a cave, "Oh no you don't friend" I mutter under my breath and I take off again, forgetting to take out my flashlight in my rage, then I trip over something sharp, metallic and angular, I swear in as many different languages as I know how to and roll onto my back, the figure forgotten about, my rage ending, my senses returning to me. I rise to a sitting position and look at what's next to my right foot.

An octagonal shape is embedded into the floor in front of me, my curiosity peaks when I look at it more closely, strange shapes are carved into the panel, the shapes glowing with a dull red shine. I reach out and touch it, then the ground cracks and I fall into a long tunnel, I cry out in surprise and try to grasp the top of the top of the tunnel again, I miss however and keep falling. Then the tunnel straightens and I fly out of the tube, I instinctively role on impact with the hard ground. I shake my head and get to my feet, then I realise that my handgun is missing from its holster, "Well that's just spectacular".

There is a strange ball of energy floating in the middle of the cavern, lightning flashing inside of it, I move closer, "This day keeps getting better and better" I think to myself, my inner voice dripping with sarcasm. I reach out and touch the orb, which flows around my hand, it's strange, because it doesn't look like water, but then again it feels like it is. The orb then shuts my hand inside it and begins to tear it apart, I scream and try to pull away to no avail, I swear again and try harder, but the orb won't relinquish hold of my hand. Then my feet disappear from underneath me, followed by legs and then my stomach and so on, "Oh son of a b..." is all I can say before my head dissipates.

**27****th**** March 2551, Unknown Location**  
I wake in a dark room, at a desk, my head feels like lead and my stomach feels worse, the bright light seeping in from around a shutter makes me curious, I look around for a way to open it, finding only a green light, I sigh and pace around the room, trying desperately to figure out what happened to bring me here, in frustration I punch the green light and the shutter flies open, revealing a beautiful sight, if slightly confusing.

"Afghanistan looks nice for this time of year"

**There we go! Wreaksauce everyone! Really good stuff from him! Finally, it's uploaded! Now, no long speech cause, yeah. I'm tired. So, visit the forum, more people to see coming up, happy holidays, until next time, blah blah bye.**

**BrambleStar14**


	6. Julian: Arrival

And we're back, back, back, back again! So people, Julian928's turn in the spotlight. And here we go!

Chapter Five

Julian: Arrival

June 12th, 2013, Earth

Julian928

"_Some people need to live, but they don't. Some people_ don't _need to live, but they do. I think I'd like to start rectifying that last one."_

_-Staff Lieutenant Julian Sebastian, Systems Alliance Navy_

"Jules, dude. Get off the damn laptop and come out here!" Tom was hanging by his fingertips on the doorframe, swaying with the waves. He was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, while the target of his words was still in the jeans and sweater he'd been wearing all day.

Julian grunted at his best friend, continuing to tap away at the computer. Thomas had never learned to appreciate how important it was to Julian to carefully mull over whether or not the Council should be saved. Then again, Tom hadn't ever played Mass Effect to learn that appreciation.

"Just a second, broseidon. Quentius, or Sparatus…" Julian mumbled, his finger hovering over the A-button of his game pad. Thomas let go of the frame and shifted his weight impatiently.

"Do you not fully appreciate that you're on a damn boat in the middle of the ocean? Has that not quite sunk in yet?"

"Tom, Tommy, Tom-boy… No words." Julian held up a finger. Thomas took the command a little differently than expected.

"Come ooooonnnnnnn!" Tom grabbed Julian's feet and yanked him off of the waterbed, bringing them both to the wooden floor.

"Now my brain is bruised." Julian moaned through stifled laughter.

"And your game is off."

"Oh, you dirty sumbitch!" Julian roared, and mock tackled his significantly more agile compatriot. This only resulted in more face-pain.

"Come on, big fella. Bring it on!" Tom stood and strutted to the door, giving Julian a Matrix-style beckon.

Julian felt the freighter under them start to rock, and rolled his legs with it. Tom went sprawling onto the deck. "Sea legs, moflocka. I has them." Julian tucked his laptop back into its bag, and helped Tom back onto his feet. "Now why are you bugging me?"

Tom dusted himself off, and rubbed the shoulder he had landed on. "There's this awesome light show in the sky. Thought you might wanna see it."

"Like a borealis or something?"

"Yessir. Whole thing's red."

"Red? Seriously? I don't think they come in red."

"Well then a Mountain Dew ship crashed, and it all evaporated, 'cause them lights are red." Thomas stepped out into the hall, and held the door for Julian.

"I'll believe this when I see it." Julian gave Thomas a skeptic look, then strode down the corridor. Tom caught up quickly, and they idly chatted about how their day had been. A few other passengers stuck their heads out to greet the two students, which Thomas and Julian politely returned.

Maria, the college freshman whose job it was to keep an eye on the two of them, stopped the pair.

"Come on guys, back to your rooms. There's no reason to go above-deck at this hour." She stared them down, but the young men had already decided how to handle this inevitable interruption.

Thomas threw her over his shoulder, and they kept walking.

"How about if you supervise?" Julian asked calmly, while Maria worked her elbows against Tom's back so she'd be more comfortable.

"I suppose that'll do." She replied, letting out a resigned sigh. She didn't often manage to argue them out of whatever they weren't supposed to be doing, but going along was better than letting them wander off to wreak havoc.

And so it was, the three teenagers wandered through the decks. Eventually, and without really meaning to, they finally made it outside.

The air was crisp. The night sky was awash with stars, and ribbons of fierce red energy. Julian was immediately reminded of Sovereign's leg-cannons, but he _had _just gotten through with that particular cutscene.

"Wow…" He whispered, as Tom set Maria down and they all stared. The light danced through the cloudless air, perfectly reflected by the calm sea.

"This is worth the babysitting." Maria smiled, hooking her arm through Tom's. Julian pretended that he didn't notice their silent affection, knowing that Tom would recoil if he reacted to it.

Julian cast his eyes to the doldrums, the sparkling ink of the Atlantic. He tried to find the horizon, but knit his brows in confusion when he saw that it had all but disappeared. Then he saw a faint shimmering, but it was much higher than it ought to be.

Tom's hard grip yanked Julian back from the railing. He turns and screamed to the ship,"WAV—"

In that moment, as thousands of tons of water began the rapid process of capsizing their ship, Julian's gut made him aware of a simple truth.

Tom being crushed against the hull by the moving wall, even as Julian and Maria were hurtled into the corridor, would be the last time he would ever see his closest friend.

Maria, by strange providence, had been gripping the outward-swinging hatch when the wave hit and it slammed shut. With a wet _pop_ her shoulder came out of its socket, and she started screaming. Julian couldn't hear her. A thousand different colors danced across his vision, the foremost being that beautiful, terrible crimson.

Then came the roll. He felt himself starting to slide, and scrambled wildly for something to hold onto. His savior was a life preserver that was meant to be decoration, and he held it for dear life. Maria flailed past him, head-first, still moaning. He tried to catch her, to help her.

But he couldn't.

And when he looked down, he saw the halo of red in the pooled seawater sixty feet below.

He wouldn't forget that, either.

Then, as the bulkheads gave way to a second wave, the hallway filled with salt and darkness. Julian pulled as hard as he could, and freed the tube from its mount. Together, they rode what he hoped would be a straight shot to the destroyed hatch, but the freighter had completely flipped. So, with a few precious and waning inches of air, he tucked the preserver between his knees, and started swimming. He couldn't see which way was the right way. He couldn't guess if he was going towards Maria's corpse, or Tom's. He just knew that as long as he tried, he had a chance to survive this.

Every stroke that took him forward was a victory in itself, but one man is no match for the Atlantic. Slowly, he realized that he was only making things harder, and let the flow send him where it wished. He drifted lazily, snatching air when he could. Ignoring the feeling of wet skin that occasionally brushed past, trying to ignore the creeping cold of the water, praying to a god he didn't believe in for just one chance.

Then there was no more air, and he felt his lungs tightening. In the cold, deep, dark, he could see the boat and its lifeless crew. The only light down here came from the flickering spotlights, and he realized he was in the open ocean. But there was no up. Nowhere to go except into the vacuum of death created by the sinking mass-coffin.

Then he saw the red again, but it came from below. It was growing larger. No, it wasn't growing. It was getting closer. His brain drew on the last dregs of oxygen left in Julian's feeble form, and told him to move, to show it he was alive. All it took was a twitch.

The borealis was back, but this time it was under the water. The red lightning struck him as the light came closer, and it burned. God it burned! He couldn't stand the horrible fire that froze him.

June 12th, 2180 CE

He vomited seawater from his mouth and nose onto the hard metal floor. Then he retched again, this time in violent horror at the deaths that were making scars for themselves in his psyche.

Rolling onto his side, barely with enough care to avoid laying in his own sick, he gulped down the stale oxygen until he started crying. And he laid there, bawling, not realizing that the strange room with the strange crates had another occupant. An occupant that had noticed this soaking wet cadaver sobbing in a corner.

He looked down on the human intruder, and Julian looked back at him.

Those scales, could they have been blue? Closer to gray, or was that from the metal? The fringe sweeping back from the head, and the black strap that had always looked so damn silly, they seemed familiar. But those eyes. How could Julian forget those awful, cybernetic eyes? As his brain slowly brought itself back online, it offered a few thoughts. The first,

_That's a turian._

The second was an understandable follow-up.

_Holy fuck._

And the third, the third is what made Julian feel even more frigid than the water and the grief. The name of the man that owned those eyes.

_That's Saren Arterius._


	7. Eleanor: Arrival

**Alright, the seventh chapter of Mass Exodus with another introduction for y'all. We're almost at the end of the arrival so not many characters left to come. Here is Luminara Unduli's time to shine! We also need a cover, so if anyone out there can create decent covers, Mass Exodus could use one. And if you want to, draw our character in our individual armour as well, causemaking those and putting those together would be awesome! Thanks to anyone who could! On with the show!**

**Disclaimer: None of us owns anything except ourselves. Bioware own Mass Effect.**

Chapter Six

Eleanor: Arrival

March 27th, 2013, Near Lake Michigan

Luminara Unduli

_Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view._ -Obi-Wan Kenobi

My hands squeezed the steering wheel, knuckles whiting at the tension, and I heard the snarling of the faux leather grind in protest. I felt the sensation travel down my arms, up my spine, through the millions of nerve endings that traced paths across my limbs and torso. My stomach was churning, cramping; a forge of white-hot fury bellowed by my angry frustration. I reached over to the radio and turned it up, feeling the harmonic guitars massage some of the tension in my bones. It was therapeutic, and it helped, but I knew it would not be enough.

I needed to kill. I needed to see blood.

I needed to hold the weapon in my hand, to feel in control of my fate, be strong and powerful – an uncontested badass who takes no shit from her boss and doesn't give a fuck about losing her job –

At last I arrived at home, and while my Xbox loaded up I quickly changed to a t-shirt and flannel pants. Tonight I was feeling God of War III – the promise of Kratos' company suited my mood – and an endless massacre and bloodied parade of death were my rewards. Screams of fear were heard behind me, doomed warriors were posturing with their battle platitudes before me, and I ended them.

And soon the world seemed set to rights again.

My stomach groaned in a conflict of hunger and upset and I popped the tab on a Sprite, hoping it would be soothing. After a few moments' siesta on the sofa, I flipped the TV on and only half listened while I sorted through the mail. A magazine and the cable bill for me, and a few non-descript envelops for my brother. I set my pop down and went to his room to leave it in the box just inside his door. I would deal with it tomorrow.

Despite there being two people on my rental agreement, my brother Eric had not been here for months, though in reality his room was just a place to store all his belongings while he was stationed at Quantico. Not only that, he sent me all his bills, his mail and his money and I managed his affairs so he did not have to worry about anything. A particularly large package had arrived two weeks ago. I emailed him about it, and he said I could open it the next time we Skyped so he could see it too. I'll admit I was indeed curious as to the nature of its contents, especially when it had mysteriously arrived in my apartment one day while I was at work. I knew my brother was into some covert operations with the marines, but I had no clue as to how this could relate to anything, and even so, why they would bring it here.

The drone of the television soon had me nodding off and I headed off to bed, but not before checking that the doors and windows were all locked. I thanked the gods that tomorrow was my day off. After the rotten day at work, I was sincerely temped to tell my boss where he could shove his tempered-steel Italian three-thousand dollar chef's knife.

It was worth noting that I lived in a retro-fitted apartment, considering the circumstances; the kind with the century-old water heater in the basement and a super who insisted on jury-rigging all the old, failing appliances instead of replacing them outright. It was only a matter of time before wires shorted out and crossed, before the sparks probably ignited the insulation duct-taped to the walls and the ceiling, paving the perfect path for the hungry, red flames to reach the first floor.

When the alarms from the hallways woke me, I was already surrounded by thick, black smoke. I rolled from my bed to the floor, covering my mouth and nose with my collar of my shirt. My eyes burned and I tried to blink away the pain. I cautiously opened the door to my room and saw the flames had reached the kitchen and dining area, near the exit of my apartment. My only option now was the fire escape from the window of my brother's room.

Keeping my eyes closed, I felt my way across the hallway toward his door. When I reached his room, I was relieved to see that while slightly warm, there was only the faintest smoke in the air above me. I closed the door and rubbed at my eyes, trying to relieve their sting. There was a small cot in the corner but otherwise the room was full of trash bags, boxes, shelving overstuffed with books and smaller boxes.

I made my way over to the window, still slightly blinded by the burning in my eyes. I heard the "crack" before I felt any pain and realized I had just slammed my shin into the corner of the mystery box. The paper covering splintered and I squinted, trying to make sense of what I saw. There was a bluish glow coming from the torn paper. I glanced towards the door of the room, seeing more and more smoke billow from the cracks below and above the door.

There was something about this package, howeve,r that kept me from bolting towards the window and out, down the fire escape to safety. Perhaps it was worth something, or at least of a distinctive importance to my brother, and I wondered if I should try and take it with me. I tried to lift it but it was maddeningly determined to remain on the floor. When I let go, beams of blue light shot out from all corners of the container. The paper disintegrated and I forgot all about the burning, impending doom threatening me beyond the door.

My lungs were on fire now, and I was choking but I no longer noticed. I was mesmerized by the device before me. Pulsing, blue energy broke through the last of the container and its mysterious contents, now released from captivity, floated up and remained at eye-level. It looked like a miniature pyramid, metallic, with faint symbols scrawled on each of its facets. As it spun languorously before me I saw my face momentarily reflected, warped and distorted.

Flames were now lashing out beyond the door to the room and panic engulfed me. At once I wheezed and felt light-headed. My limbs were heavy and tired, and I let gravity carry me to the ground. The grey smoke turned to blackness, and I knew no more.

**March 27****th****, Unknown Location**

When I came to, my eyes were bleary and still quite uncomfortable, but I could breathe clearly. Blinking a few times, I took in my surroundings. Someone must have rescued me after I lost consciousness, I thought.

When I looked around, nothing made sense.

I should have awoken in the back of an ambulance, or perhaps at a hospital. Where I found myself, however, was strewn across the floor in a dimly lit room with no furniture, and apparently, no mode of entrance or exit. Trying to rise, I realized my hands and ankles were bound, and I felt my stomach drop through my knees, my heart racing in alarm.

Fear was something I rarely experienced in my mundane life. It was something I felt when walking down a back alley at night, imagining footsteps echoing behind me; it was felt when I would reach into my bag and realize I had forgotten my wallet at the restaurant; it was felt when my boss would call me into his office, his face red and sweating a great deluge. I immediately realized those moments were like comparing a paper cut to a decapitation.

I was most undoubtedly afraid.


	8. Kieran: Arrival

**Chapter Seven**

**Kieran: Arrival**

**5****th**** April 2013, 50,000 Feet above the Pacific**

**BioticStories**

"_It doesn't matter where you are, you are nowhere compared to where you can go." -Bob Proctor_

I look to my left in the small cramped plane and Andrew smiles at me before leaping out of the plane. Seeing him fall to Earth makes my heart pound in my chest, turning me into a one man band as the pilot looks at me and points to the door, making my drum of a heart jump right up into my throat.

I gulp and look out of the door and take in the sight of the deep blue ocean. I force myself to swallow, then close my eyes. I feel myself fall forwards and my stomach churns while I feel all the cold air blasting against my face.

I open my eyes and see that I had them closed longer than I thought. Panicking, I pull the cord on my chute. However, I nearly wet myself when I see the chute hadn't worked. Instead of freaking out, I simply pull the secondary chutes cord but my heart is practically leaping out of my mouth when I see that my secondary hadn't deployed. Nothing left to save me as I plummet towards the sea far below, approaching rapidly, I then accept my doom.

I close my eyes and remember my life.

Pre-school with Andrew and Alex who I grew up with in England, my dad who taught me all I know about guns and survival skills, my mum who taught me to cook (albeit not well) and clean, my girlfriend Alicia, who supported me through all the bad times and was always there for me when I was down.

I was about to be ripped from all of them and when I open my eyes again, I see the water for a split second but then nothing…..

**April 5****th**** 2181, Unknown Location  
**  
I open my eyes and to my surprise I'm not dead but the scenery around me is what confuses me.

I stand up and see an alien….Wait,

WHAT THE HELL!?

A Turian, a real life Turian, was staring daggers into me as I lie... wherever I am now. I slink into the alleyway to catch my breath.

After getting over my-self I look around the corner again and see a Datapad lying on the ground, exactly where I was just a second ago! Walking over, I pick it up and open up the one file onboard.

Your New ID and CV

Name: Kieran Neil Evans

Job: C-Sec Detective (To be tested later after checking into the recruitment office)

Qualifications: Graduated with top-marks at Oxford University in Law

I stare in shock at the Datapad and look to my right and see the C-sec Academy. But I wonder how the hell I ended up on the Citadel of all places.

"What the hell have I gotten myself into?" I ask myself in exasperation.

I look up and down then decide to walk into the C-Sec academy as I had nothing better to do, being stuck in this universe and all that. As soon as I do, I feel a billion alien stares stabbing into me like spears of long dead Roman soldiers.

"Ah Evans you arrived, follow me. I need to test your weapons skills." A Turian with blue face paint walks up to me and says. He watches me with a huge grin and I see his mandibles flare wildly.

I then realize who it is and nearly do a back flip. I realize I am just stood right next to Garrus Vakarian.

"This is going to be a long day," I think to myself and clutch my head as a headache comes on….


	9. Taylor: Arrival

**Alright people! This is BrambleStar14 with yet another introductionary chapter for you all! This time, we meet Rfalzar, who has decided to write an absolute monster of a chapter for us all. So, on with the show!**

**Chapter Eight**

**Taylor: Arrival**

**April 6****th**** 2013, Earth**

**Rfalzar**

"_The two enemies of Human Happiness are Pain and Boredom"- __Arthur Schopenhauer_

"Dear God... this is brutal..." I grumbled to myself as I quietly slipped away from the tour group. I had my eyes on a bench ahead of us for a while now, waiting to take a break. Unfortunately our tour-guide was a bit... well long-winded would be the nice way of putting it. There were a few other, less kind ways I would have phrased it, but he was just doing his job after all. Besides, every one else seemed to be enjoying themselves.

I stealthily snuck around the tour group, no easy feat consider I was wearing flip-flops, and took a seat on the bench. I stretched my legs out and ran my hands through my semi-short, sandy blonde hair, messing it up to match my usual hairstyle. After a sigh, I rubbed my face, trying to fight off of the exhaustion. This wasn't exactly how I wanted to spend a day like today, but I had my obligations: it was my girlfriend's birthday.

I met Claire while I was away at college. Never really did the whole dating thing during high school. I was pretty awkward the first few years of my high school experience, but I managed to come out of my shell during my senior year. There were a few girls I was interested in, but I never really saw the point what with everyone moving away to their college of choice. I myself moved away to the northern part of Michigan to have my schooling. I spent the first few months finding girls who weren't really interested in the same thing as me. They were just looking for a one-night thing, and I guess I was too in the beginning, but after a while I wanted something more. Then fate intervened, I guess. It was my second semester and we met during our lab section of our biology class. We were assigned as lab partners. We started talking, she liked my sense of humor and I thought she had a great personality. Things just kind of clicked and went from there. It was now our senior year and to say that my time with her had been anything less than amazing would be a severe understatement. I'd honestly do anything for that woman.

Which leads me to the predicament I was in now. There were the occasional moments when I hated my selfless, chivalrous side, but hey, she likes it and that's all that matters. It was her birthday this weekend, and she wanted to go to the Henry Ford Museum. There was some kind of special art exhibit that was on display; a bunch of ancient stuff, I'm not entirely sure. A museum wasn't exactly my idea of having a good time. It probably didn't help that I went to grade school nearby and we took what seemed like a weekly field trip there so I basically knew this place by heart. A man can only look at the same shit so many times before he starts to lose his sanity.

Claire on the other hand, grew up near our college so she had never been there. She was a pretty big art enthusiast, minoring in fine arts actually, and when she saw that this exhibit was going to be there around the same time as her birthday, we naturally had to make the plans to come see it. Art wasn't exactly something I loved too much. A result of having to overanalyze art in classes I was required to take. 'What was the artist trying to convey in this portrait?' 'Maybe he wanted to just paint a bowl of fruit?'

'NO! There's _always_ a deeper meaning!' 'It's a fucking bowl of fruit!' That was a fun class... My arguments with Claire usually ran along the same lines, but they were all in good fun. This was probably one of the only things we held different opinions on.

The other reason I didn't want to be here was because it was close to eighty degrees outside, hence the flip flops in the middle of March. The only expected weather in Michigan was the unexpected; there could be a blizzard with the temperature in the teens one day and then be eighty and sunny the next. I would've much rather been enjoying myself outside in the beautiful weather. Hopefully that would come later. Right now I had to fulfill what I like to call the 'fake it til you make it' clause of the good boyfriend contract, which involved actually trying to enjoy myself while I was here for her sake.

One of the perks that resulted from making the trip down here, besides the obvious one of 'if she's happy, I'm happy' (if you catch my drift), were that I got to see some of my really good friends who've been away for a while. They were on Spring Break this week so it all worked out. Speaking of which, both of them were walking towards me.

"How the hell did you manage to slip away in flip flops?" asked the shorter of the two, adjusting his glasses over his brown eyes and resting his hands on his messy mop of brown hair.

"Because, Nick... I'm magic!" I said while clapping my hands and slowly bringing them apart to make it look like I made something disappear.

"Yea, well the next time you perform a 'magic trick' let us know," the slightly taller blonde and blue eyed one said with an air-quote.

"Andrew, you're just mad because Kathryn notices everything. There's no way you coulda snuck away."

"That's besides the point," he said with a smirk as both of them took a seat next to me.

"This was a pretty good idea, Taylor," Nick complimented. "The whole couple's day thing is actually kind of fun."

Andrew and I both stared at him with impassive faces.

"I said kind of. I mean I get to hang with you guys and I haven't seen you in a while so there's that."

We all shook our heads in agreement.

"How'd you guys get away from the group?" I asked.

"Tour's over," Andrew replied. "We have free-roam right now and the girls all went to get something to drink real quick before we head back to that ancient art crap."

"Oh joy..." I said with mock excitement.

"Well it could be worse," Nick cut in, forever the optimist. "At least they all get along. If you woulda told me a couple of years ago that Jillian would suddenly become best friends with Claire and Kat after we visited you guys I pry woulda... well I don't know, but you get the point."

Again, we shook our head in agreement. We then sat there in silence for a minute, relaxing and waiting for the others.

"Ok, just to double check," I said out of the blue. "You got Seamus to set most of it up, right? Haven't been able to check in with him 'cause I've been around Claire all day."

"Yep," Nick said with a glance to Andrew. "We both got texts about a half hour ago from him."

"Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it."

"So, you're actually gonna do this? Like you know you're ready?" Andrew asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Positive, sir. But thanks for the vote of confidence," I replied with a chuckle.

He laughed back. "I'm just saying, but in case you didn't know this, it's kind of a big deal."

"I'm aware, but thank you. I'm to-"

"They're on their way back. Stop talking," Nick interrupted.

"Thanks bud," I said as we all got up and walked over to our respective significant others. I wrapped my arm around the shoulders of the five foot ten woman with red hair, soft facial features, and deep blue eyes that I called a girlfriend, and gave her a quick peck on the lips as we made our way back to the special art exhibit.

"How do you always manage to find a way to weasel your way out of these things," she asked with a smirk.

"Tis a natural talent I s'pose."

"Is it really that bad for you?"

"No, not entirely. I just needed a break. Walking around this place for that long of a time in only flip flops was probably not the smartest decision I've ever made."

She giggled and bumped into me with a little hip swing. "I _told _you it was a bad idea!" After taking a sip of her water, she deepened her voice and used exaggerated hand motions to mock me. "No, Claire, I'll be fine. I've walked farther in these. Besides, I'm a real man and it doesn't matter what I put on my feet."

I laughed. "You should know by now not to listen to me when I do things like that. I blame you entirely for this."

She giggled again. "Of course you do."

"So where we headed? No, wait! Lemme guess. Back to the art exhibit?"

"Naturally. We were just planning on going there and then heading our separate ways. Right girls?"

They both gave some form of a positive reply.

"Well, I hope it doesn't take too long. After all, your day isn't over yet."

"Taylor, you didn't have to. I mean this trip was enough, and then you got me that new charm for my bracelet. You seriously didn't have to."

"You see, you say that now, but I know you too well. I'm not falling for it."

"Then I've trained you well," she said with a smirk. That caused Andrew to snicker which in turn caused Kat to give him a sharp jab to the ribs with her elbow and a follow up of "Oh because you're not?"

I just laughed and tapped Claire's freckled nose. "You're lucky you're adorable."

"I know," she smugly replied. She then brought up her wrist to examine the new charm that had emerald and aquamarine stones in it. "I've gotten a lot of compliments on this, actually."

"Well, I would hope so. I mean, it matches my eyes perfectly," I said jokingly while fluttering my eyelashes.

"You and your creepy mutation..."

I held a hand up to my chest in mock offense. "Ugh! Why madam, I never! Sounds to me like you're just jealous of my heterochromia."

She laughed. "Nah. It wouldn't look good on me. On you however, it's just oh so irresistible," she said while exaggerating the last part.

"You joke about that, and yet it's true. Especially for you. What was it you said that one night?

"Taylor, don't..." she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Something about how each color turns you on in a diff-" An elbow jab to the side cut off my sentence. "Right, shutting up."

"Oh! We're here, c'mon!" she exclaimed as she grabbed my arm and dragged me over to the first part of the exhibit.

We moved along, looking at all the unique pieces. This particular section was Renaissance art, which wasn't too bad. As we walked, we saw varying styles and artists ranging from modernistic pieces to cave paintings. It was interesting, but none of it really held my attention like it did for her.

While Claire was absorbed in a particularly 'amazing' (her words, not mine), Nick, Andrew, Jill, and Kat came and said their goodbyes. They had other things to do. Nick and Andrew shook my hand and gave me a nod that said 'Good luck.'

Claire went back to looking at her painting, while I walked over to the more prehistoric pieces. I gave a quick look around to see if anybody was there other than us. Not a soul at this moment besides us, and no security cameras either. Time to get a closer look. I climbed over the rope guard to get a closer look. I walked up to what looked like a giant stone slab that had been cut out of a cave. It depicted a battle between stick figure men while a giant creature resembling a Kraken or something rose out of the water behind it. It looked strange, and yet oddly familiar at the same time.

"Claire, what is this thing?" I asked.

She was still absorbed in whatever she had been admiring. "I don't know. What're you looking at?"

"Some weird cave painting," I replied.

"Weren't you paying attention on the tour?" I didn't reply. "Right, I should've known. It's some ancient work, found in a cave off the coast of New Zealand. It's a recent discovery apparently. We don't know what group of people made it, but it seemed like they worshipped the sea, and the creatures in it. The weird ball thing in front of the painting was found deeper in the cave. Seems that held some importance as well, but we can only speculate at this point."

"Why the sudden int-" she had turned around at that point. "Taylor! What are you doing back there?! You can't be there!"

"Shhh! There's nobody around. It's fine," I reassured her. "But seriously, this looks like something I drew in grade school."

"It's a cave painting, what do you expect?"

"I don't know, maybe some clarity?" I said while tapping the beast on the painting.

"Don't touch that! It's ancient! You have to respect it!" she said with increasing frustration

"I am! I mean it's not like I can hurt the inanimate object's feelings." I looked to the painting and gave a slight bow. "I'm deeply sorry if I offended you. Next time just say something and I won't touch you." That seemed to ease her mood a little bit. I then turned to this strange, black, stone orb with weird markings on it that was in a glass case. Depending on how the light caught it, other colors would appear, almost like a puddle of gasoline. This must be what she was talking about when she said 'ball thing.'

"And you must be this painting's cave mate. I hope you're not offended by what I did to your friend over here."

I put my hand up to my ear, waiting for a response. "No? Nothing? Good." I said, and gave the top of the case a tap. As soon as I touched it, however, the symbols glowed red and a small red spark shot out to where my hand was on the box. A splitting pain stabbed into my head, causing my vision to go black. I could vaguely make out somebody saying my name in the background, but I wasn't sure. My senses were overloading. Images flashed by. I'm not entirely sure what of, but it was like a movie on super fast-forward or something. And then suddenly, it was gone. The pain, the visions... everything.

I opened my eyes to see myself on the ground, curled up in the fetal position almost, and clutching my head.

Claire was kneeling down next to me, with my head on her lap. "Oh my God, Taylor are you alright?" she asked, fear in both her voice and facial features.

I shook my head and sat up slowly, resting my forehead in my palm. I still had a slight headache. "Yea I'm fine... What happened?"

"I don't know! One second you're being you and joking around. Then you touch that case and collapse clutching your head with your mouth wide-open in some kind of... I don't know, voiceless scream. It was terrifying! I thought you were having a seizure or something!"

"Nah, just a really brief and intense headache apparently... C'mon, we should get out of here."

"Are you sure? I mean that wasn't normal. What if something's wrong?"

"I'll admit it was weird, but I'm fine now. Trust me," I said with a reassuring smile while trying to ignore the dull ache left behind.

"I don't know..."

I brought her into a hug. "I'm fine. Just a minor headache, which is easily solved. If it happens again, I'll go get it checked out. Don't worry."

"Ok... but I'm holding you to that," she replied nervously.

"I'd expect no less," I said as we stood back up. "Now come on, we've still got places to go, and we should get out of here before we get kicked out. We're kinda not allowed back by the pieces..."

Claire laughed, some of the nervousness fading. "Bad jokes. Maybe you are back to normal."

We crossed the rope barricade and then started walking towards the exit. She hugged my arm and rested her head against my shoulder as we moved.

After a few minutes had passed, Claire decided to break the silence. "So, where to next? You've been awfully secretive about this."

"Yes I have."

After a few seconds she realized I wasn't going to say anything, she looked up to me with puppy eyes and a pouty lip. "Awww come on Tay... Just tell me."

"Nope."

She kept up the act. "Pleeeease?"

"Weeeeeellllll... Fine," I said in defeat as she smiled in victory. "We are gooooiiiing... toooo... this one place with this thing and some stuff that I think you'll really like."

She just laughed and hit my chest. "You are such an ass."

"I'm aware."

"Well fine, if you won't tell me then at least pick up the pace," Claire said as she sped us up.

"You and your birthdays..." I chuckled to myself as we exited the museum

"Ok, you can open your eyes now," I said, uncovering Claire's eyes so she could take in the surroundings.

"Where the hell are we?"

That was a damn good question considering we were just in the suburbs near a pretty busy city, and now it looked like we were in the middle of nowhere. There were a bunch of trees indicating that we were in the forest, and the sound of the city was no longer anywhere near us.

"Well, I know how much you love the quiet of your peaceful northern life, so I had my cousin pull some strings for me. We're at a park about forty five minutes away from the museum. She managed to find a cabin out here that we could rent for the rest of the weekend. Just you and me."

She turned to me, obviously excited, but her face betrayed a hint of guilt. "I thought we were staying with your family? I mean I feel bad hogging you the entire time you're down here. You barely get any time with your parents."

I raised an eyebrow and shook my head. "And this is why they like you. So selfless, aha. But no, they knew this was happening, so there's not a problem."

She furrowed her brows and looked at me as we walked towards our cabin. "This is nice and all, but all of our stuff is at their house."

"Oh ye of little faith. Also taken care of. I had Seamus swing by my parent's place, they gave him our stuff, and he brought it all up here."

"You've had this planned for a while haven't you?"

"Well I can't take all the credit for it... just like 99% of it," I said with a sly smirk.

She giggled. "You're so modest, you know that Taylor?"

"Yes m'dear, you've mentioned this to me before."

She stopped me right before the door to the cabin and looked me in the eyes. "All joking aside, are you sure you're ok? You look a bit pale after that incident."

"I put both my hands on her shoulders and returned the eye contact. "You worry too much. I told you I was fine, just a minor headache. I just need to eat something and I'll be ok. C'mon, I heard this cabin was awesome, and judging from the whole rustic, Lincoln Log looking outside, the inside is gonna be just as cool."

I brought out the key that my cousin had given me and opened the door. After stepping inside, I held the door open and gestured with an arm into the cabin to usher Claire in. I knew what to expect and it still blew me away. It had a bit of a rustic feel to it considering it was a log cabin, but at the same time, it had modern furnishings: fancy fireplace, high-end kitchen, a hallway that lead to a fairly large bedroom and what appeared to be a king-sized bed.

I let out a low whistle at the lavish little house we were in. "My cousin wasn't kidding when she said that she got this for a steal."

"This. Is. Amazing," stated the girl next to me.

I wrapped an arm around her. "Nothing but the best for you, babe. Did I mention this was the honeymoon cabin? Pry why it's secluded and fancy."

"I'm so spoiled," she said playfully.

"Yes, you are. Go get dressed!" I said while walking over to the kitchen. "Your bag should be in the bedroom. I made sure to pack your favorite dress for you..." I said seductively while giving her a wink.

"You mean _your_ favorite dress..." she said, walking down the hall to the room.

"Nope! I actually do pay attention to you sometimes."

"We'll see," she hollered back.

"Take your time, I still have to cook the food and get ready myself." Now how was I supposed to do this again...

The day was just starting to end when I finally finished preparing everything. I had already set the table that was out on the patio, which gave a great view out onto the forest beyond as well as the sky. I finished straightening my tie, and pulled it taut to the collar right as my phone started vibrating, telling me the dinner was ready. Filet mignon's encrusted with some bleu cheese, a side of assorted vegetables, and a salad.

Thank the heavens Sam helped me prepared this stuff. He was one of my fraternity brothers and essentially the most interesting man in the world. One of his many, many talents included being an amazing cook. He helped me prepare everything and season it earlier this morning. All that was left for me to do was actually cook it, which I could do. I was no five-star chef, but I got along fine. Judging from the smell, I think I did a good job.

I set the food on the counter and then walked to the room, rapping on the door to get Claire's attention. "Dinner's ready, babe. You almost ready?"

"I'll be out in five!" she exclaimed back.

"Holding you to that!" I yelled back jokingly, as I walked back towards the kitchen. I took dinner plates, and brought them outside to finish setting the table. Everything was going perfectly: dinner appeared to come out fantastically, the champagne was chilling, the sun was still setting but it was just starting to get a little dark, causing the lone candle in the middle of the table to give off just enough light. Perfect.

I crossed my arms as a grin set in on my face. I couldn't help but give myself a mental pat on the back. Then I heard the door slide open.

"Well, what do you know? You weren't kidding when you said you actually paid attention. This _is_ one of my favorite dresses."

I turned to greet her, and my breath hitched in my throat for a second. There she stood, the love of my life: red hair let down, draped in a form fitting emerald dress that showed off her assets. It tied behind her neck and met in the middle of her chest. Incredibly sexy and tasteful at the same time. She complimented her outfit with a silver necklace, various stones the same color of her dress accenting it. It was a close possession of hers, given to her by her grandmother who had recently passed away.

"You look absolutely stunning," I complimented her.

"You clean up pretty well yourself," she said, referring to my lighter green vest and tie that I was wearing over a black button up and black pants.

"It's apparently one of my better qualities," I reply with faux arrogance. She giggled and playfully hit my chest.

"Now if you'll follow me, I'll lead you to your seat m'lady," I said offering my arm for her to take. I pulled out the seat and let her sit down, after which I poured champagne for both of us.

She sat there with a smile plastered on her face. "You really pulled out all the stops on this one, didn't you?"

"Hey, it's your birthday. Only comes around once a year," I said, raising my glass to her.

She clinked it in return. "You even remembered what we ate on our first date."

"How could I forget?" I asked while pouring the champagne. "First woman I've met who loves steak as much as I do."

"Honestly, I'm surprised you knew how to make it."

"You should know I'm a culinary master by now."

She laughed. "Please. I know a Sam aided meal when I see one."

I snapped my fingers and muttered, "Damn..."

She grabbed my hand and giggled a little. "Still, the effort is appreciated."

"Good, that's what I was going for. C'mon, better eat before it gets cold."

We sat there and enjoyed the dinner over drink and conversation. We talked about the events of the day, things that were happening when we had to go back to school for the semester, small talk of all kinds really. We had a great time just enjoying each other's company. After the sun went down and the meal was finished, we ended up laying in the hammock I had set up nearby. Claire was snuggled to my chest, and I had one arm wrapped around her.

"I have to say, if that's how you really cook you're gonna have to start doing it more often."

"Sam isn't gonna be happy about that. I mean, he doesn't mind helping but I don't know if he'll be ok with being an unpaid personal chef," I reply with a nervous chuckle.

"Well maybe I can give you some pointers."

"We'll see." Silence ensued for a few minutes.

Claire broke said silence. "You know, it's really peaceful out here. I would love to just sit out here and stare at the stars every night." She was right. The light pollution didn't seem to corrupt the night sky where we were. "Why don't we do this every year?" she teased.

"Well, this night is special."

"Yea, I know, you've mentioned that."

"I'm kinda hoping this night can continue being special..." I said as I slowly reached into my pocket to grab the small box.

"Oh... I like the way you think..." she said giving me a kiss on the cheek.

I chuckled. "That's not exactly what I was talking about... but I've never been able to say no to you... Maybe in a little bit."

"You're right," she replied. "This moment is pretty perfect..."

"I could think of something that might make it better..." I said bringing the box up to her and popping it open.

"What is..."

"Claire, these past few years with you have been amazing, and I wouldn't trade them for the world. The part of the day that I look forward to the most is waking up and spending my time with you. Every little moment I spend with you is a moment that makes me truly and genuinely happy. And I want to keep making those moments."

"Taylor..."

"Now, I know every time we've talked about it, we did so jokingly. But it actually got me thinking..."

"Taylor, this is..."

"Crazy? Yea I know. But people in love do crazy things, but to me this isn't crazy. I know we're barely out of college. I know that our future is uncertain. But there is one thing that I know for sure about my future, and it's that I want to be with you through it... Will you marry me?"

She was silent for a moment and then wiped a tear away from her eye. "Yes! Yes I will," she said trying to contain her joy and planting a kiss on my lips. "So this is why you were being all secreetive"

I slipped the ring on her finger. "Yea, I like to keep people on their toes," I said with a smile on my face. I returned her kiss. "You have no idea how happy you've made me."

She examined the ring on her finger. It caught the light of the moon and shone beautifully. The band was silver and swirled toward the center where the diamond was. Under that diamond lay a smaller bed of diamonds. It definitely wasn't cheap, but it was totally worth it.

"The feeling is mutual, Tay," she replied. "But I mean, are we crazy for doing this? There's still so much more ahead of us."

"Of course we're crazy," I replied with a laugh. "But at the same time, I know we'll get through it."

"You know what? You're right. We'll be just fine. Stop ruining this day with serious talk," she said with a giggle, still admiring the ring.

I laughed. "That was all you. I was content with just sitting here and enjoying the end to this day."

"This day has been pretty amazing. Maybe we should make it a bit more amazing..." she added seductively before giving me a deep, passionate kiss.

We broke the kiss. "Well I mean, if you insist..."

We made our way from the hammock to the room surprisingly quickly considering we were inseparable that entire time. We fell on the bed, still together with Claire under me, and we slowly gave into our passions. Clothes flew off and landed in various places around the room, while we explored each other's bodies as if it were the first time. She eventually rolled me over on my back and sat on top of me. She gave a mischievous grin and took charge. We gave into each other. It certainly wasn't the first time, but it was certainly the best. Definitely a night both of us would remember for the rest of our lives.

We eventually ran out of energy, both of us completely spent and exhausted. We were content with just laying in the bed, cradling each other. Our position was similar to the one we were in on the hammock. This was easily the best night of my life. I was engaged to the love of my life, and the 'celebration' afterwards was amazing too.

The steady breathing and stillness from Claire indicated that she had already drifted to sleep. I, myself, felt sleep's embrace creep it's way into my mind. Despite all of the good thoughts and feelings, there was something deep in the back of my brain that said something was amiss. It had been there since the incident at the museum, but I ignored it and it was easily overpowered by everything else. I didn't mention it to Claire because it would've ruined the night. Besides I was fine, and so was everything else. But still, I couldn't help but feel like something small was off.

I was just about to fall asleep and then the blackness that accompanied sleep flashed red, accompanied by a brief, splitting pain in my head not too different from the one at the musueam. Then everything was black again.

_**A/N: Hey guys, Rfalzar here. Thanks for reading the story, and I hoped you enjoyed it, even if it is a bit of fluff. Trust me, it builds up to something bigger and better, but you'll just have to wait and see. Next chapter from me will be more actiony and not as fluffy as a cloud, aha. **_

_**Anyhow, hope you readers stick with this collab as it holds some promise, and should prove interesting.**_

_**Until next time, Rfalzar out.**_

**Well folks, he said it better then I could. We only have one more chapter to go before we can get into Arc 2. Until then, see y'all.**

**BrambleStar14**


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